News

ARCHITECT'S NEWSPAPER | "Meet the incubators and accelerators producing the new guard of design and architecture start-ups. This is part of a series profiling incubators and accelerators from our April 2018 Technology issue.

At the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), participating members get a lot of bang for their buck. Originally started in 2011, the outfit moved in 2016 into a 60,000-square-foot complex, known as the La Kretz Innovation Campus and owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The campus is one of the inaugural public amenities of a new Cleantech Corridor planned by the City of Los Angeles for a vast area stretching from the Lincoln Heights neighborhood, in East L.A., to the Arts District, downtown."

Our photographer - and we are proud to say, friend - of over twenty years, Benny Chan, will receive this year's 2018 Julius Shulman Institute Excellence in Photography Award. The Julius Shulman Institute presents the prestigious award to an early or mid-career artist whose work embodies the legacy of architectural photographer Julius Shulman. It features a notable roster of recipients, including Todd Eberle, Hélène Binet, Grant Mudford, Pedro E. Guererro, Catherine Opie, Richard Barnes, and Iwan Baan. Click through to read the full story on Archinect. Our most heartfelt congratulations to Benny!

John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects (JFAK) is seeking a detail-oriented, and self-motivated individual with excellent technical skills and a deep knowledge of accessibility codes and requirements for immediate full-time employment.

The ideal candidate has:

5-8 years of professional experience

Knowledge of code, ADA, and accessibility requirements is absolutely necessary

John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects (JFAK) is seeking motivated individuals with strong architectural drafting skills for immediate employment. Qualified candidates will work both independently and on teams, on documentation, and construction administration.

The ideal candidate must have:

Minimum of 2 years of professional experience drafting architectural drawings

John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects (JFAK) is seeking motivated individuals with strong design skills for immediate employment. Qualified candidates will work both independently and on teams, on all phases of design, documentation, and construction administration.

"The following ten projects—all built during the past five years—showcase a variety of creative approaches to bringing the public and private sectors together to provide sorely needed infrastructure, economic revitalization, transit-oriented housing, and community resources...Local architecture firm John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects renovated a 61,000-square-foot (5,700 sq m) masonry warehouse, built in 1903, to accommodate offices, conference rooms, laboratories, prototyping workshops, and event space, as well as laboratories for the LADWP. Completed in 2016, the facility offers open, semi-open, and closed workspaces." Read more about this and ten other projects here.

Alice Kimm was a guest on KPCC's AirTalk this week, discussing a new high-end residential complex and its effects on Los Angeles real estate.

Housing prices keep going up in Southern California, making homeownership out-of-reach for many Angelenos. As the city and state tackle the housing crunch and affordable housing issues, one of the most expensive homes in America is on the market right here in L.A. It’s a behemoth in Bel-Air that features 20 bedrooms -- the largest one clocks in at 5,500 sq ft, four swimming pools, and a commercial-size beauty salon. And the asking price? Just $500 million. Would a listing like this change the high-end real estate game in L.A.? Could this spur a nuclear arms race of over-the-top houses? Who might actually buy such an expensive building?

JFAK's newest project, the UCLA Kinross Recreation Center (KREC) is now open for the exclusive use of UCLA Graduate students and faculty. This 9,900 SF structure includes cardio and strength equipment, outdoor fitness area, a fitness studio and lockers. Learn more about the project here.

The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence (RBA) is a national design award recognizing transformative urban places distinguished by their economic and social contributions to America’s Cities. Completed in 2016, the La Kretz Innovation Campus + Arts District Park were created to position the City of Los Angeles as a cleantech industry leader and sustainable urban center. LACI's CEO Matt Petersen accepted the $10,000 award check on behalf of the campus. Funds will be used to bring students and artists from disadvantaged neighborhoods, including Boyle Heights and Watts, into the campus to learn about The Advanced Prototyping Center and work with the organization’s new Artist in Residence (AIR) program.

One of an architect's greatest accomplishments, after completing a building, is seeing it take on a life of its own. And this project clearly has done that - it is a clear example of what can happen when public and private sectors work together towards a common goal. This project is the embodiment of the greatness of the City of Los Angeles, and we are so proud. - Alice Kimm

Envisioned as an industry hub where engineers, scientists, and policymakers interact to promote the development of clean technologies and LA’s green economy, the La Kretz Innovation Campus occupies an LADWP-owned 3.2-acre parcel of land in the center of the vibrant Downtown LA Arts District.

John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects is the only submitting firm in the award's twenty-year history to have two of their projects selected as finalists. Their LA Design Center was awarded a Rudy Bruner Silver Medal in 2007.

John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects' Roberts Pavilion at Claremont McKenna College was selected as one of of this year's Facilities of Merit by Athletic Business, and earned its spot as the cover feature on this month's publication. The winners will be celebrated at a reception at the this year's AB Show in Orlando. Judges were impressed with the visual relationships between the interior and exterior of the building, and the relationship between the building's facades. Judges commented:

"The design concept successfully carries through from the exterior to the interior. A compact and efficient plan is maximized with an expressive facade, interior forms and skylights that deliver light deep into the building." — Kalman Nagy

"Really cool and dynamic building! The main lobby interior is striking and full of natural light. The building program configuration and connection to the exterior is exceptional. This is a place you want to exercise and spend time in." — Stephen Sefton

Three panels of judges have completed weeks of scoring and discussion to determine the list of winners for ENR California’s Best Projects 2017 competition. This year our panel of industry judges reviewed and discussed nearly 100 projects located throughout California and Hawaii. Nine judges from throughout the industry—including architects, engineers, contractors and subcontractors—were divided into three groups and assigned a group of categories. Projects were evaluated on the ability of the project team to overcome challenges, contribution to the industry and community, safety and construction and design quality.

JFAK Principal Alice Kimm was be a featured speaker at Facades+ LA, the premier conference on high-performance building enclosures. The conference unites top professionals from the worlds of design, fabrication, and construction to consider how these elements contribute to and are shaped by LA’s unique architectural landscape. This year, the conference took place at the LA Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles October 19th and 20th.

Alice explored how JFAK’s process has evolved to inspire users to interact with, document, and share interior as well as exterior moments of their buildings – helping to establish stronger, more connected identities and further shape dynamic environments activated by JFAK’s foundational use of light and form.

Thank you for joining us, we were happy to hear from many of our accomplished friends and colleagues!

JFAK Associate Derek Greene will be featured for the fourth year running in the annual Unfrozen Music, a free concert that explores the intersection between music and architecture through classical piano, indie rock, blues and jazz. Five talented musicians and architects from firms across Los Angeles will showcase their musical talents at the event, whose theme is "Home". Donations from the concert will benefit Habitat for Humanity Los Angeles.

Music is liquid architecture; Architecture is frozen music

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"I've been playing piano since I was 9 years old. I look forward to Unfrozen each year, since it is a good way to motivate myself to continue honing in my craft and a way to share a part of me that a lot of people don't always have a chance to see. At this year's Unfrozen, I'm excited to share three pieces that, in some way or another, remind me of either a time or someone special from back home in Chicago," shares Derek.

The BASE Capitol Hill apartment building in Seattle, which has the country's largest concentration of microunits. (Urban Land Institute via Flickr)

Alice Kimm was a guest on KPCC's Take Two this week, discussing the housing crisis and the ways in which architecture can present a solution.

The cost to live in L.A. has been rising, and people are trying to find solutions. Solving the housing crisis might take cramming all of L.A.'s greatness into smaller homes like micro-units, which can be less than 400 square feet...."But how can you adequately provide a unit that can house somebody comfortably in that amount of space? That's a real design challenge," said Kimm.

About jfak

At John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects, we believe in architecture’s power to transform culture and create compelling and meaningful - as well as joyful - places. Our work catalyzes creative interactions, enhances daily life, is sensitive to the environment, and advances positive social change.